Ragweed season is in full effect here in Minnesota! So is back to school! With the kids heading back to school and fall allergies in full force, here are some great tips to help get you through the fall.
1. Be sure to have Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, on hand!
2. Multi-vitamins are building blocks to having a strong immune system. Make taking a multivitamin part of your child’s daily routine.
3. Let there be light! Mold doesn’t like sunlight, so try to keep your curtains open during the day. Should be easy during the summer/fall months!
4. Did you know that most pillows trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria? Monitor the cleanliness of the pillow your child with allergies sleeps on and replace if necessary.
5. Back to school season means lots of laundry for many moms. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing machine promptly. Allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can quickly grow there.
6. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor before and after school activities accordingly. Dry, windy days can be particularly high in pollen.
7. Showering or bathing at the end of the day as opposed to the morning can be helpful in removing allergens from body surfaces and hair.
8. Stay hydrated! Always send your child to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids through the day can help get rid of toxins and flush out body.
9. Peak pollen production typically occurs in early morning, so try to plan outside activities at other times of the day.
Once you have a routine going it’s easy to maintain. Here are a few ways we keep on track for our family.
We make taking our Children’s Claritin Chewable a part of our morning routine. Before we brush our teeth we take our Claritin. That way by the time we are heading out of the house the Claritin is in our systems and working. The best way to manage allergies is to stay ahead of them!
We take our multi-vitamin with dinner. Since we take gummi multi vitamins I try to keep a variety of characters on hand so that the kids can choose what they want. It works for us and the kids seem to get excited when they get to choose if they would rather have fairies, monsters, cars or princesses!
To help stay hydrated I buy the 10 ounce bottles of water. Then I keep either a little Mio or other flavor enhancer on hand to help encourage the kids to drink water.
And we end every night with a bath. To help make bath time fun and less of a fight I keep a variety of bubble bath, fizzy balls and toys on hand. Let the kids play as long as they want in the bath. I usually let them play in the bath while I do dishes or put away laundry. When they are ready to be done they call me in. I help wash their hair and make sure they got all the dirt and grime off. The kids have a blast and I get a few moments for myself!
I change the bedding twice a week. I have two sheet sets per bed. On Sunday and Wednesday I gather up all the bedding and switch it out. I also have a preschooler who LOVES to take a blanket with her. The rule is once the blanket leaves the house it goes in the basket by the front door. We do not drag it throughout the house. This is also great for helping keep other germs out of the house too!
Hope these tips help make this allergy season more comfortable for you and your family!